Machine for gathering and loading hay.



No. 683,833. Patented (lot. I, I901.

M. BECK.

MACHINE FOR GATHERlNG AND LOADING HAY.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1901.) (No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet l.

Wfinesses W, W/MW/ No. 683,833. Patented Oct. I,- I90l. M. BECK. MACHINEFOR GATHERING AND LOADING HAY.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1901.)

7 Sheets-Shani.

(No Model.)

No. 683,833. Patented Oct. I, I90l.

4 M. BECK.

MACHINE FOB GATHERING AND LOADING HAY.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1901.) (N 0 M 0 d e l 7 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Wi h-[Estates- Tu: Nonms rzrzni'oci'wow-umu. wnsummcm. u. c.

No. 683,833. Patented Oct. I, I9OI. m. Back.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING AND LOADING HAY.

- (Application filed Apn 10, 1901.) (No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheat 4.

**** mum I if 4PM No. 683,833. Patented (lot. I, IQDIQ M. BECK.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING AND LOADING HAY. (Application flled Apr. 10, 1901.

(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 5.

TH: uORms PETE! col. rumpuma wnsmus'mn. m J

Patented Oct. I, l90l.

7 Sheets-Sheet 6.

m. BECK.

MACHINE FDR GATHERING AND LOADING'HAY.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1901.)

(No Model.)

No. 683,833. Patented on. I, l90l.

M; BECK. r i I MACHINE FUR'GATHERING AND LUA'DIIPIG HAY'.

(Application filed Api. 10, 1901.)

1... I' 'Illlll 7 Sheets-Sheet 7.

Ell: illl (No Model.)

MARSHALL BECK, or MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JACOB W.SKINKLEAND DAVID R. HILL, or ornoneo, ILLINoIs.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING AND LOADING HAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,833, dated October1, 1901.

Application filed April 10, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL BECK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Moline, county of Rock Island, State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improve-j ments in Machines forGathering and Loading Hay; and I do hereby declare the follo,w ing to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which "it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of hay-loadersthatare attached to and drawn by the vehicle on which the hay is to beloaded, the loader in its passage across a field gathering the hay fromthe ground and delivering it onto the vehicle in a continuous operation.

The general objects of the invention are, first, to provide an improveddraft arrangement whereby the loader may be hitched up to and unhitchedfrom the wagon or other vehicle behind which it is to be drawn withoutrequiring the operator to get under the wagon and without the necessityof a nice adjustment of the relative positions of the wagon and loader;second, to so mount the machine upon the ground-wheels as to obviate thenecessity of a supporting-axle and allow the employment of athrough-shaft that is relieved of all weight and has only the duty ofdriving the operative parts to perform; third, to combine what may betermed a double pick-up with afloating compressor, thereby increasingthe gathering action and enlarging the capacity of the elevator tohandle the hay; fourth, to provide a novel construction of thecompressor itself, whereby it is adapted to yield at any point to adaptitself to the mass of hay on the elevator; fifth, to provide numerousnovel details of construction combined and cooperating with the featureshereinbefore mentioned in such manner as to produce the best results,all of which will be referred to in detail and hereinafter pointed outin the claims.

The foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear areattained by the devices illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a loader Serial No. 55,202. (Nomodel.)

embodying my invention. Fig. 2 ,is an enlarged side elevation of therear end thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the upper ordischarge end thereof. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section throughthe portion of the machine shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a .centrallongitudinal section through the portion of the machine shown inFig. 3.Fig. 6 is a detail of the teeth on the elevating-cylinder. Fig. 7 isalongitudinal section through one end of the elevating-cylinder and itsdriving mechanism. Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section on the line17 17 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section on the line l818 of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a detail showing the connection between thecompressorbars and the stripper. Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation moreclearly showing the connection between the tongue and loader. Fig. 12 isa perspective view of the complete loader from the rear, and Fig. 13 isasimilar view of the entire machine from the left-hand side. Figs.

14: and 15 are respectively end and fragmentary side views of one end ofthe elevatingcylinder. Figs. 16 and 17 are details illustrating themanner of connecting the gathering-fingers to their. finger-bars, andFig. 18 is a detail illustrating the cap by means of which the side barsof the stripper are sleeved upon the shaft of the floating gatherer.tongue connection.

This machine in a general way comprises features common to machines ofthis class, such as the triangular frame having the inclined side boardsA, between which operates a compressor B and below which travels theupper reach of an elevating-carrier composed of side chains 0 and slatsD, the frame be-- ing mounted upon a single pair of ground or tractionwheels E, from which is driven the elevating-cylinder concentric withthe axes of said wheels and around which works the lower end of thecarrier, the upper end of the carrier working, as usual, around a pairof idle pulleys F, mounted in the upper forward end of the frame. To therear of the elevating cylinder and suitably carried by the frame is afloating gatherer G, which is also driven from the ground-wheels, whileextending forward from the machine is the Fig. 19 is a perspectivedetail of the usual tongue II, by means of which the loader is attachedto the hay-rack, wagon, or other vehicle into which the hay is to beloaded. \Vhile these general features are common to several priormachines, their construction and mode of operation in the presentmachine are entirely novel, so far as I am aware, and not only admirablyserve the intended purpose, but avoid numerous objections encountered bythe same features in prior machines of this class when subjected to theexigencies of service.

In this machine there is no main axle in the ordinary sense of thattermthat is to say, there is no axle extending between the ground-wheelsand upon which the frame of the machine is supported. Instead thereofthe shaft of the elevating-cylinder, which in the present machine is acylinder mounted on an axis coincident with that of the groundwheels, isa freely-mounted shaft which does not carry any of the weight of themachine, not even that of the cylinder through which it passes and whichit drives. On the contrary, the entire weight of the machine, includingthe elevating-cylinder and its operating-shaft, is carried directly bythe groundwheels, upon which the frame of the machine has what I call awheelbarrow-mount on each of said wheels. In other words, the hub ofeach ground-wheel is extended so as to form a hollow trunnion at eitherside thereof, and upon these hubs the frame of the machine is directlymounted. This is effected by having at each side of the machine a pairof parallel sills I, and between each pair of sills a ground-wheel E islocated,each sill having bolted thereto on the under side a bearing-box.I, in each of which is journaled a reduced extension K on opposite endsof the hub L of the wheel. The outer end of the hub, which passes underthe outer sill, is prolonged, so as to project asufficient distancebeyond the sill to receive the hub of a pawlplate M, which is rigidlymounted thereon either by means of set-screws or other interlockingdevices, such as the tongue andgroove connections N. (Shown more clearlyin Fig. 8.) The pawl-plate M, which, in effect,

is simply a crank-arm on the wheel-hub, carries a spring-actuated pawl 0near the outer end, which is adapted to engage a ratchetwheel P, whosehub Q is prolonged inwardly and rotates within the bore of the wheel-hubL. Into the bore of the inner end of the wheel-hub rotatively fits thehub of the disk or head R of the elevating-cylinder, which is thussupported directly in the hub of the ground-wheel and which will bedescribed in detail farther on. It is sufficient to here state that theelevating-cylinder has companion heads at opposite ends, the two headsbeing rigidly connected by the finger-bars S, so as to form a cylinder,the hub of the head at the opposite side of the machine being in allessential respects a duplicate ofthat shown in Fig. 7 and is journalcdand are preferably duplicated at the opposite side i of the machine, thepawl and ratchet-wheel being of course there located beyond the outersill and the ground-wheel being journaled beneath the pair of sills I inthe same manner as shown in Fig. 7. Extending through the hubs of theratchet-wheels and the hubs of the cylinder-heads is a powershaft T,which of course extends freely through the bore of each of theground-wheels, but which is keyed or otherwise non rotatively secured tothe hubs of the ratchetwheels and heads. In the drawings I have shownthe power-shaft square in cross-section and provided the hubs of theratchetwheels and of the heads with correspondinglysquared centralbores, so as to afford a nonrotative engagement with the shaft withoutthe use of keys or other means for producing this result. It will thusbe seen that the power-shaft T has none of the duties of an axle toperform, does not subserve the purpose of an axle, and does not form anypart of the frame structure of the machine. No weight is placed upon it,and it has only to perform the duties of a shaft for transmitting powerto the driven parts of the machine, being itself freely thoughindirectly journaled in the hubs of the ground-wheels. The entire Weightof the elevating-cylinder is also carried directly by the hubs of theground-wheels, which feel the weight thereof upon their innerperipheries or bores, while the Weight of all the rest of the machine iscarried directly upon the outer peripheries of the hubs of theground-wheels through the intermediacy of the side sills I, each pair ofwhich has a wheelbarrow-mount upon one of the wheels.

It will be understood that the free ends of the driving-pawls O atopposite sides of the machine must point forward, so that as the machineis drawn forward upon the groundwheels they will engage theratchet-wheels P and rotate the power-shaft T, and consequently drivethe elevating-cylinder. When desired, as in traveling from field tofield, these pawls maybe thrown out of engagement with theratchetovheels by springing the ends of their actuating-springs U overthe studs V on the pawl-plate, which raises and holds them out ofaction, in which case they would travel around the ratchets with thepawl-arm and wheel-hub, but allowing the ratchet, the powenshaft, theelevatingcylinder, and the parts driven thereby to remain at rest. Allthe other driven parts of the loader, particularly the floatinggatherer, may be driven either directly or indirectly from thepower-shaft; but the power is transmitted from one end of the shaftonly, preferably the left-hand end, as shown in the drawings.

A spur-gear W is secured by screws, rivets, or otherwise to the outerface of the left-hand ratchet-wheel and engages a smaller gear X,mounted upon a stud bolted against the face of the outer frame-sill. Thedirection of retation of the smaller gear is therefore reverse to thatof the larger, and it has cast therewith or riveted to the outer facethereof a driving sprocket-wheel Y,which is connected by asprocket-chain Z with another sprocketwheel a, rigidly mounted upon theend of the shaft 6 of the gathering-cylinder G. This connection causesthis cylinder to rotate in the reverse direction to theelevating-cylinder, so that the opposing sides thereof move in the samedirection, while those portions moving over the ground move in oppositedirections, as clearly indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. Thus theelevating-cylinder revolves forward at the ground-line with the travelof the ground-wheels while the gathering-cylinder revolves backward,which causes the side of the elevating-cylinder next to theground topass backward over the same while the side of the gathering-cylindernext to the ground passes forward, the combined action of the twocylinders being to pinch the hay between them. It will also be notedthat the gatheringcylinder is in a plane somewhat below theelevating-cylinder, so that the latter will pass over the hay upon theground without engaging the same rolling down the high piles, while thegathering-cylinder acts as a rake to initially lift the hay from theground and deliver it to the elevatingcylinder.

The gatherer is of the floating type--that is to say, it is so supportedupon the frame of the machine that it may rise and fall to accommodateitself to the various inequalities of the ground and to ride over andclear obstructions on the ground without damage to itself. It is floatedand driven in the following manner: The shaft 6 of the gatheringcylinderis journaled at its ends in a pair of float-bars c, which are pivoted attheir forward ends to the frame of the machine, the pivot on the leftside of the machine being afforded by the stud upon which thesprocketwheel Y is journaled. From the float-bars 0 project upwardangularly-disposed arms d, constituting in effect, when taken inconnection with the fioatbars, bell crank levers. The upper ends of thearms cl are connected by forwardly extending coil-sprin gs c with theframe of the machine, the connection of the springs with the machinebeing preferably ad- 3' ustable, so that the spring tension may bevaried by some means, such as the threaded eyeboltf, into the eye ofwhich the spring hooks, the threaded end of which bolt passing freelythrougha concaved nut-seat on the cross-frame bar g and having mountedthereon a ballformed threaded nut h, having a permanent handle forconvenience of manipulation. The rear ends of the float-bars cand theupper ends of the bars d are connected by another bar 1' into atriangular frame, said bar "5 being perfothe tension of thesprocket-chain by which it 7 i is driven will not be affected by anychange in its position, and also that by reason of the length of thegathering-cylinder, which in practice is about eight feet, but has veryslight play at the pivotal point of the gatherer, will permit theindependent rising and falling of the ends of the gatherer, so thatshould the ground rise under one end and remain level under the otherend the work of the gatherer would not be materially interfered with andit would pick up the hay at either end as effectually as at the other.While the rotation of the shaft b causes a corresponding rotation of thegatherer-cylinder, at the same time and as a result of such rotation Iam enabled to automatically and positively rock the gathering-fingersupon their axes, so that they will be caused to assume varioustangential positions with relation to the periphery of the cylinderduring their travel about its axis.

The sprocket-Wheel a is rigidly mounted in any suitable manner upon theshaft b, so as to rotate therewith, preferably by having the shaftsquare in cross-section and fitting in a correspondingly-squared centralbore in the sprocket-wheel. The cylinder of the gatherer is composed ofa pair of heads at opposite ends thereof, connected by a series offinger-barst, said bars being arranged in a circle about the heads asuitable distance from the outer peripheries thereof, each carrying aseries of gathering-fingers extending tangentially therefrom and eachbeing loosely journaled at its ends in said heads, respectively. Thefinger-bars are rocked in their bearings as the drum rotates by anyappropriate means for that purpose, and the fingers are thus caused tochange their positions relatively to the periphery of the cylinder asthey revolve, projecting radially or vertically in passing nearest theground and delaying or rocking backwardly as their points rise, so thatat the strippingpoint their position is practically horizontal and-theyrecede or back out of the hay endwise at substantially a right anglewith the stripper. The present invention is not limited to anyparticular means for producing this rocking motion of thegathering-fingers; but the arrangement which I prefer to employ is thatillustrated and described in an application of even date herewith, wherethe same construction of gathering-cylinder and rocking fingers isemployed in a side-delivery rake.

The gathering-fingers, besides having the rocking action just described,are also resilient, being preferably composed of strong spring-wire andare formed at their inner ends into coils of slightly-greater diameterthan the diameter of the finger-bars t. These coils surround thefinger-bars. The inner endof each coil terminates in a straight end andis seated in a kerf in the finger-bar and is held firmly therein by anyappropriate means, but preferably by the means described in myapplication first referred to. Thus while the fingers have sufficientstiffness to perform the comparatively light work of gathering andlifting the hay they can still readily spring back under the moreviolent strain of contact with the irregularities of the surface, thuspermitting the gatheringcylinder to float closely along the ground ineasy reach of the hay and without being violently tossed up and down, aswould inevitably occur in a floated cylinder having rigidgathering-fingers.

The position of the gathering-fingers at substantially right angles tothe strippers after picking up the hay is clearly shown in Fig. 1,wherein the strippers 7 are shown in their preferred form, consisting ofa series of metal straps rigidly secured to a stripper-board S at theextreme rear of the machine, whence they extend downwardly and. curvearound the gathering-cylinder on substantially the same are as theperiphery of the cylinder and close to the finger-bars, thus leavingpractically the whole length of the gathering-fingers protruding belowthe strippers on the ground side for work and keeping the strip pers asfar as possible away from ground contact. The strippers leave thegathering-cylinder tangentially at its forward side and extend to apoint considerably above the cylinder, where they are rigidly secured tothe lower compressor-yoke 9. The board 8 and yoke 9 are connected,braced, and spaced by an intermediate strap 10, oblique rods 50, and endstraps or frame-braces 60, the latter lying beyond the ends of thegatherer-cylinder and having pivoted or rocking bearings upon the sleeve1 of the shaft of the cylinder by means of the caps 11. The strippersand the connected parts forming their mountingframe constitute what maybe called the stripper-section, and the free rocking mount of thissection enables it to act auto matically and as an auxiliary compressorin harmony with the compressor-section proper, the two sections having ahinged connection, as will hereinafter be more clearly shown. By thisarrangement the strippers are not only held in fixed relation to thegatherer-cylinder, but move therewith as the gatherer floats, so as toalways be in proper position to strip the gathering-fingers. The forwardreachof the strippers is on a curve substantially corresponding with theelevating-cylinder, although the fingers 12 of the elevat ing-cylinderdo not reach in between the strippers and, indeed, do not extend quiteto the strippers, but only close enough to cooperate with them, so as toform a continuous throat for the elevation of the hay after it is pickedup by the gathering-cylinder for its delivery by the elevating-cylinderto the space between the elevating-carrier and the compressor. Thefingers -12 of the elevatingcylinder are slightly-trailedspring-fingers, substantially like the gathering-fingers, each having acoil 13 formed therein and having its inner terminal clamped between apair of parallel boards 14,which constitute the bars of the cylinder. Toeach end of each of these bars is secured a rigid finger 15, as shownmore clearly in Figs l and 7,which fingers lie closely adjacent to theheads of the cylinder and being rigid assist the more positively incontrolling the hay at the sides of the elevator, where it tends to massand delay in the act of being separated from the hay left on the ground.These fingers being curved or trailed slightly withdraw into the carrierat an angle sufficiently approaching cndwise to strip cleanly out of thehay. The fingers 12 of the elevating-cylinder by reason of theirflexibility and trailing form will accommodate themselves to the hayupon the carrier and will lie back and withdraw gradually from the hayby substantially end wise movement when necessary, so as not to disturbthe mat or carrydown any of the hay onto the drum.

The elevating-carrier of my machine, like most other machines of thisclass, is composed of a pair of link chains (3 at opposite sidesthereof, connected at regular intervals by a series of transverse slatsD, such slats being attached at their ends to cars formed uponappropriate links. I prefer to drive the carrier by the slats, simplyusing the chains as a means for connecting the slats, and. therefore sofar as any function which these chains have to perform theirconstruction is immaterial, and plain bands, belts, or link chains ofany character may be employed. Each elevating cylinder-head R (see Fig.7) is provided with a circumferential flange 16, which is smooth on itsexterior, and at theinner edge a radial flange 17 projects and ispreferabl y curved inward and has therein at regular intervals notches47, (see Figs. 2, at, and

14,) into which fit the slats D of the carrier, the chains G of thecarrier running upon the flanges 16. Between the heads of the cylinderand secured to the bars 14 is one or more auxiliary driving-rings 48,having lugs 18, which are backwardly curved on their forward faces andarranged to lie just back of the slats when properly engaged by theheads of the cylinder. These auxiliary drivers afford rests for the longslats at one or more intermediate points and at the same time assist indriving, and thereby prevent undue bending of the slats when a heavyload is placed thereon. I also prefer to connect the slats at regularintervals by slack ropes,

which are substantially parallel with the chains 0. These ropes aresimply for the purpose of forming a better support for the mat of hayduring its elevation and serve to act as auxiliary stripping devices inconjunction with the slats for properly disengaging the hayfrom theelevating-fingers. The proportion and arrangement of these fingers andthe slats of the carrier is such that a slat will time in between eachpair of bars 14, so that in cooperating with the gatherer to pick up thehay the fingers will project almost wholly beyond the slats; but aftercarrying the hay up until it is firmly engaged between the carrier andthe compressor the fingers begin to gradually withdraw from the mat ofhay as the carrier leaves the elevating-cylinder at a tangent, thefingers trailing and yielding as may be necessary to withdraw from thehay without liability of carrying any of the hay down with them to wraparound the elevating-cylinder. As indicated in Fig. 7, the inner sillsIof the loader-frame are quite close to the outer edge of the flanges 16of heads R, and the sills where they extend forwardly of the heads, asshown in Fig. 4, serve as guides to direct the descending ply of thecarrier-belts onto the flanges and have also the function of holding thebelts on the flanges and preventing lateral displacement.

The compressor in my present machine consists of a series of long bars19 and 23, lying edgewise substantially parallel to the upper reach ofthe carrier and in a plane slightly above the same. Each of the bars 19has a pivotal or hinge connection at its lower end with thecorresponding one of the strippers 7, the stripper being bent rearwardlyjust below the lower compressor-yoke 9 to form a shoulder for a strap 20(secured to the end of the compressor-bar 19) to rest upon, the stripperalso passing loosely and freely through the loop, so as to permit apivoting or hinging action of the loop between the bend in the stripperand a cleat 21 on the stripper above the shoulder, as clearly shown inFig. 10. The side bars 23 of the compressor project at their lower endsoutside the carrier and are connected by braces 24 directly with thelower compressor-yoke 9 .by a pivot connection 25, so that they clearthe rims of the traction-wheels far enough to permit the hay at thesides to pass freely and yet do not interfere with the flexibility ofthe connection between the compressor and the stripper. The upper endsof all the compressor-bars are provided with elongated bales or loops26, which pass through eyes in the lower ends of hangers 27, dependingfrom an upper compressor-yoke 28, the loop connection permitting thebars to slide endwise bodily forward or back above the face of thecarrier independently of the movement of the yoke, as required incooperating with the stripper and the gatherer. The yoke is rigidlyconnected by brackets 29 to the free end of an outside arm 30, which ispivotally connected at its lower end 31 with the side frame of themachine. The outside arms 30 at their forward ends rest normally upon asuitable bracket or shoulder 81 on the machine-frame, so as to supportthe upper compressor-yoke 2S, and consequently the upper ends of thearms, at a fixed minimum distance above the upper end of the carrier,keeper-loops 32, attached to the machine-frame, being provided aroundthe outside arms 30 to serve as guides and upward stops therefor intheir vibration.

It will be seen that the preponderance of weight of the stripper isforward of its rocking seat on the gatherer-cylinder axis and that thispreponderance is augmented by the weight of the lower ends of thecompressorbars. To support this forward weight and to prevent thehinge-connected ends of the stripper and compressor from falling downupon the face of the carrier, the yoke 9, from which the other partsdepend, is given an independ out swinging seat or downstop on the mainframe or, as preferred and show n herein, on the floating frame near itspivot on the main frame. This independent stop is provided by rods 22,which are pivotally mounted at their lower ends on the floatingframe-pieces 61, their upper free ends working through eyes secured tothe ends of the yoke. Cotter-pins through said rods above and below theeyes (see Fig. 13) constitute upper and lower limits for the movement ofthe yoke, the rods being provided with a series of holes for thecotter-pins, so that the range of action of the yoke may be adjusted tothe requirementsof the work being done, and the rods being encircled bycoil-springs 122 to hold the yoke down with an elastic pressure, whichmay be Varied by adjusting the upper cotters. The compressor when not atwork or when working in thin hay thus rests its upper and lower yokes ondownstops which hold it within a few inches of the carrier-face andsubstantially parallel with the carrier, but also, by reason of itsyokes being freely mounted on the downstops, the hay can lift it ateither end, side, or corner, substantially providing the exact amount ofroom required by the varying volume of the elevating hay and maintainingan equalized compression by the tilting of the compressor to adaptitself to the unequal distribution of the hay in the ele- Vator at anygiven time. 7

By trailing and pivoting the gatherer on the main frame, by rock-seatingthe strippersection on the gatherer cylinder axis, by hinging togetherthe forward end of the stripper 8 section and the rear end of thecompressor-section, by supporting the forward weight of thestripper-section, increased by the compressor-weight at that point, onthe backward and forward swinging stop-rods brought up from the'main orfloating frames, by slidably suspending the compressor-bars under theirupper yoke, and by pivoting the supporting-arms of this yoke back on themain frame there is provision for every possible movement necessary inthe parts so re lated, no matter how extreme the variations in servicemay be. As the gathering-cylinder is mounted in a position substantiallyhorizontal to the pivot of its floating frame and the lowercompressor-yoke in a position substantially vertical thereto, the partsbeing connected and both supported from the floating frame, it followsthat when the gatherer floats up and down in passing over surfaceelevations the yoke must move forward and back in a like are of a circlearound the pivot of the floating frame, since the gatherer and yoke havethe same relative movement as the horizontal and vertical spokes in arevolving wheel. The forward-and-back movement of the yoke is permittedby the swinging mount of the stop-rod supporting it, and thecompressor-bars supported upon the yoke are moved by its oscillations upand down the carrierface, their endwise shift being permitted bytheirsliding-loop connection with their upper yoke. During the endwisemovement of the compressor-bars their parallel position to thecarrier-face is substantially maintained by means of the parallel slidesat the top end and of the substantially parallel movement of their loweryoke on the swinging stop-rods. XVith the gatherer up and the lower yokedown the compressor-bars have made their extreme forward and endwisemovement. It while maintaining these relative positions an excessivequantity of hay should lift the extreme top end of the compressor, theupper yoke would come down the sliding loops sufficiently to compensatefor the difference in the arcs, respectively, in which the yoke and thebars were rising. This position of allthe parts determines the relativelocation of the lower ends of the sliding loops, as to set them higherup the bars would lock the parts from taking the Various compensatingpositions necessary to work. If while the gatherer and the upper yokeare in their highest positions the lower' yoke be raised as part of thestripper-section, it would rock toward the rear, drawing thecompressorbars endwisc down the carrier-face until the sliding loopswould hang about centrally under the upper yoke. \Vith the lower yoke upand the gatherer and upper yoke down the compressor bars have made theirextreme rearward and endwise movement and the upper yoke its extremeforward movement. This position of the parts determines the relativelocation of the upper ends of the sliding loops to avoid locking. \Viththe lower yoke dropped down also-that is, all parts on their lowerstops, as shown in Fig. 13-the bars and slide-loops move forward totheir middle positions the same as when all parts are raised to theirlimits. Owing to the looseness of all the pivot and hinge connectionsinvolved and to the considerable width of the machine all these varyingpositions can be taken at one side of the machine, while thecorresponding parts at the other side are at rest or making othercombinations, as the work may require.

In mounting the loader on two wheels the preponderance of weight isnecessarily and naturally forward, and to support the machine when notattached to a wagon or not in use a swinging leg 33, attached to theframe of the machine forward of the wheels and below the carrier, is letdown to rest upon the ground. lVhile at work the swinging leg is hookedup under the stub-tongue 34: (see Fig. 11) by any convenient means, suchas the chain and fork shown in Figs. 1 and 19, and the tongue H isattached by any suitable means to the wagon reach. The tongue H isattached to the stub-tongue 34 at its rear only by the leveling-stirrup85, which straddles the stub-tongue with its upper free ends,which areperforated, so thata pin 36 may be passed through perforations in thestirrup ends and through a slide 37, attached to the under side of thestub-tongue. The slide in, effect, constitutes a long slot, so that thetongue II may be moved backward and forward longitudinally, theleveling-bolt constituting a pivot therefor. At the forward end of thestub-tongue there is secured a transverse bar 38, provided at oppositeends with handles 388. (See Fig. 19.) The bar is notched on its underside at 39 to receive the tongue H, which is provided with an elongatedslot 40 in its upper face, preferably covered with a metallicwear-plate, which also is a draft-plate and divides the slot into twoparts, as clearly shown in the drawings, and down into one or the otherparts of this slot projects the end of a draft pin or stud 41, dependingfrom the stub-tongue just back of the handle-bar. In Fig. l the tongue His shown in dotted lines as resting with its forward end upon the groundout of working position, and the swinging leg 33 is also down on theground to support the machine. In Fig. 11 and in full lines in Fig. lthe tongue is shown up in a horizontal position, as when attached to awagon at its forward end. In this position the machine is supported bythe wagon-reach r, to which the forward end of the draft'tongue issecured, preferably by means of a bar 7', suspended from the reach andextending through the socket r on the end of the tongue, the connectionbetween the bar and the socket being made by a clevis r that isadjustably pivoted to the bar and is caught under the hook r on thesocket. The object of this ar-' rangement is to avoid the necessity ofgoing under the wagon to hitch or unhitch the loader. When the wagon isloaded, the first act in unhitching the loader is to let down the legand by means of the handle 388 to lift up the frame, so that the legwill straighten out and support the loader Sllfficiently above and freeof the draft-tongue to effect the disengagement of the draft-stud fromthe socket. This leaves the draftceases tongue supported by the clevis rat its front end and the leveling-pin 36 at its rear, and immediatelythat the stud 41 is free of the socket 40 the slide 37 permits theweight of the tongue to cause it to lurch or swing ahead, thus bringingthe bar so that it hangs vertically and loosely within the socket. Thedraft strain being thus removed from the intel-locking parts,a quicklift of the tongue unhooks the clevis and tosses its free end out of thepath of the hook long enough to permit the socket to drop from the bar.In hitching up the loader the operator has only to bring the socket 0 inline with the point .of the bar 0" and lift the front end of the tongue.As the socket rises the hook 7' passes the clevis and the latter dropsunder the hook by its own weight. As will be understood, the pole bearsno weight either when hitching or unhitching, and being free to moveendwise and sidewise by means of the slide 37 it is easy to get thehitch parts into line with each other, and no great care is required toadjust the wagon to the loader.

It is obvious that numerous changes in the form and construction of thevarious parts of my machine may be made without departing from thespirit of my invention, and all such changes are contemplated by thefollowing claims. It will also be understood that some of the featuresof the invention are applicable to any machines which gather the hayfrom the ground, whether they load it upon Wagons or other vehicles fortransportation or merely gather it for the purpose of rakingorteddingit, especially the manner of mounting the frame and driving theparts and the construction and manner of supporting the floatinggatherer.

Having thus described my in\'ention,what I claim is- 1. In a hay-loader,the combination of a stub-tongue rigid with the loader-frame, adraft-tongue having a disconnectable draft connection with said tongue,and a sliding pivotal connection between the draft-tongue and thestub'tongue.

2. In a hay-loader, the combination of a stub-tongue rigid with theloader frame, a folding leg pivoted to the tongue and adapted to supportthe frame in a slightly-elevated position, a draft-tongue having adisconnectable draft connection with the stub-tongue, and a slidingpivotal connection between the rear end of the draft-tongue and thestubtongue.

3. In a hay-loader, the combination of a stub-tongue rigid with theloader -frame, a cross-bar at the front end of the tongue having handlesby means of which the loaderframe may be lifted, a pivoted foldable legadapted to support the frame in a slightlyraised position, a dependingdraft-stud, a draft-tongue having a sliding pivotal connection with thestub-tongue at its rear end, and a socket or sockets in the upper sideof the draft-tongue located and adapted to receive the draft-stud on thestub-tongue.

4. In a machine for gathering hay, the combination of axlelessground-wheels, extensions of the hubs of said wheels upon which theframe of the machine is mounted, a driving-shaft for the operative partsof the machine journaled in said wheel-hubs, and a driving connectionfrom the wheel-hubs to the shaft.

5. In a machine for gathering hay, the combination of a pair of parallelframe-bars at the side of the machine, a ground-wheel having its hubprovided with extended ends upon which said bars are supported with thewheel between them, a driving-shaft journaled in the hub of said wheel,driving connections from the shaft to the operative parts of themachine, and a driving connection between the wheel-hub and the shaft.

6. In a machine for gathering hay, the combination of a pair of parallelframe-bars at opposite sides of the machine, ground-wheels having theirhubs provided with extended ends upon which said bars are supported withthe wheels between them, a throughshaft for driving the operative partsof the machinejournaled in the hubs of said wheels, and a disconnectabledriving connection between said whee'lhubs and the shaft.

7. In a machine for gathering hay, the combination of a pair of parallelframe-bars at opposite sides of the machine, ground-wheels having theirhubs provided with extended ends upon which said bars aresupported withthe wheels between them, a through-shaft journaled in said wheel-hubs, acylinder carried by said wheels and having elevating-fingers, anoppositely-rotating cylinder carried by the loader-frame in rear of thewheels and I having gathering-fingers, an elevator rece1ving the haygathered by said cylinders, connections whereby the two cylinders andthe elevator are driven by the shaft, and driving connections betweenthe shaft and the groundwheels. v

8; In a machine for gathering hay, the combination of axlelessground-wheels, an elevating-cylinder having a journaled connection withthe hubs of said wheels, a drivingconnection between the cylinder andthe wheels.

9. Ina machine for gathering hay, the combination of axlelessground-wheels, an elevating-cylinder provided with journals havingbearings in the hubs of said wheels, a shaft extending through thejournals of the cylinder, and a driving connection between the shaft andthe ground-wheel hubs.

10. In a machine for gathering hay, the combination with the side barsof the machineframe, of axleless ground-wheels having hub extensionsupon which said side bars are support-ed, a driving-shaft for theoperative parts of the machine journaled in said wheel-hubs,driving-gears fixed upon said shaft outside the frame-bars, and adriving connection beelastically-suspended floating frame, a rotatingfingered cylinder mounted in said frame, and a stripper composed oftransverse bars in front and rear of the cylinder, with straps connectedat their opposite ends to said bars and passing close beneath thecylinder, said cross-bars being connected together by side bars that aresleeved on the shaft of the cylinder so as to permit the stripper torock about the cylinder-axis.

13. In a hay-loader, the combination of an elastically-suspendedfloating frame, a rotating fingered cylinder mounted in said frame, anda stripper composed of transverse bars in front and rear of thecylinder, with straps connected at opposite ends to said bars andpassing close beneath the cylinder, said crossbars being connectedtogether by side bars that are sleeved on the shaft of the cylinder soas to permit the stripper to rock about the cylindenaxis, and the upperbar being free to rise and fall independently of the floating frame andcylinder.

14. In a hay-loader, the combination of an elastically-suspendedfloating frame, a rotating fingered cylinder mounted in said frame, anda stripper composed of transverse bars in front and rear of the cylinderwith straps connected at opposite ends to said bars and passing closebeneath the cylinder, the floating frame and its gathering-cylinderbeing adapted to rise and fall independently of the front bar.

15. In a hay-loader, the combination of an elastically-suspendedfloating frame, a rotating fingered cylinder mounted in said frame, anda stripper composed of transverse bars connected together by strapspassing close under the cylinder, the front cross-bar being free to movevertically with respect to the floating frame, and the rear one beingconnected to move with the floating frame.

16. In a hay-loader, the combination of a floating frame pivoted to themain frame and elastically supported at its rear end, a rotatingfingered gathering-cylinder carried by said frame, and a stripper forthe fingers of said cylinder, said stripper being composed of transversebars connected together by straps passing close under the cylinder, thefront transverse bar being vertically movable so as to permit the strapsto have a movement about the axis of the cylinder.

17. In a hay-loader, the combination of a fingered elevating-cylindercarried by the main frame, an auxiliary fingered gatheringeylinder inrear thereof carried by an elastically-suspended floating frame, anelevator to which the hay gathered by the cooperation of the elevatingand gathering cylinders is delivered, and a stripper for the fingers ofthe gathering-cylinders, said stripper being composed of transverse barsin front and rear of the cylinder connected together by straps passingclose beneath the cylinder, and curving upwardly and forwardly over theelevating-cylinder, the front cross-bar being adapted to yieldvertically away from said elevating-cylinder.

18. In a hayloader, the combination of a fingered elevating-cylindercarried by the main frame, an auxiliary fingered gatheringeyli nder inrear thereof carried by an elastically-suspended floating frame, anelevator to which the hay gathered by the cooperation of the cylindersis delivered, and a stripper for the fingers of the gathering-cylinder,said stripper being composed of transverse bars in front and rear of thecylinder connected together by straps passing close beneath thecylinders, and curving upwardly and forwardly over the main-framecylinder, and at that point having a hinge connection with a yieldingcompressor overlying the elevator, the front cross-bar being adapted toyield vertically away from the main-frame cylinder.

19. In a hay-loader, the combination with the elevator, of anelevating-cylinder mounted in the main frame at the foot of theelevator, a floating elastically-supported frame carrying an auxiliarygathering cylinder below and in rear of the elevatingcylinder, and meansfor rotating said cylinders in opposite directions. i

20. In a hay-loader, the combination with the elevator, of anelevating-cylinder mounted on the main frame in fixed position relativeto the elevator and the ground, and a floating elastically-supportedframe carrying an auxiliary gathering-cylinder Whose position isautomatically variable relative to the ground, the fixed cylinder andthe elevator.

21. In a hay-loader, the combination with the elevator, of an overlyingcompressor, a yoke at the head of the elevator, and sliding connectionsbetween the compressor-bars and the yoke, said yoke being carried byarms pivoted to the elevator-frame, whereby it is free to rise.

22. In a hay-loader, the combination with the elevator, of an overlyingcompressor, a yoke at the foot of the elevator, and connections betweenthe yoke and the compressorslats, the yoke being adapted to rise andfall.

23. In a hay-loader, the combination with the elevator, of an overlyingcompressor, a yoke at the foot of the elevator connected to thecompressor, vertical rods pivoted on the elevator-frame, and having asliding connection with the yoke, and springs to holdthe yoke down withan elastic pressure.

24. In a hay-loader, the combination of a floating fingeredgathering-cylinder, a stripper for the fingers of said cylinder, anelevator, an overlying compressor for the elevator, and'a flexibleconnection between the lower end of the compressor and the upper end ofthe stripper.

25. In allay-loader, the combination of an elevator, anelevating-cylinder, mounted in fixed position on the frame at the footof the elevator, an auxiliary gathering cylinder mounted in a pivotedfloating frame in rear of the elevating-cylinder, a stripper for thefingers of the gathering-cylinder, said stripper being connected to themain frame so as to move with the floating frame, a compressor overlyingthe elevator carrier-belt, and a pivotal connection between thecompressor and the stripper.

26. In a hay-loader, the combination of the main frame, a floatingcylinder mounted in arms pivoted on the frame and havinggathering-fingers, and a stripper for the fingers of thegathering-cylinder, said stripper consisting of straps connected tocross-bars in front and rear of the gathering-cylinder, and saidstripper being pivotally mounted on the axis of the cylinder and free tooscillate and move vertically at its forward end.

27. In a hay-loader, the combination of the main frame having side bars,supportingwheels journaled in boxes on the under side of said bars, aslatted elevator-carrier having chains, an elevating-cylinder mountedcoaxially with the supporting-wheels, and heads MARSHALL BECK.

Witnessesfi J AS. BARCLAY, WILSON P. HUNT.

